Juvenile to Adult Juvenile to Adult

88 Pages·2006·5.62 MB·English

PossumS
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Revised May 2006
Dear Wildlife Carers
Some people can put their thoughts and observations to paper very easily; I am not
one of those people. I have to be pushed or in the mood and I must say my passion has
thinned these last few years. Perhaps it’s because most of the possums who shared our
land and I knew so well perished during the 2000 bush fires. We did manage to save a
few burnt animals; A Greater glider, two Ringtails and a couple of Brushtail possums
which made their way to the house area seeking water from the pond a day or so af-
ter the fire. We consider ourselves lucky as we managed to save our home unlike some
residents who lost everything. Many old hollow bearing trees (widow makers they call
them) are just waiting to drop as they never recuperated from the fire and the lack of
rain. There was no understory for such a long time. But, the bush is slowly coming
back, thanks to the recent rains.
Maybe that’s why I decided to get involved with Bush Regeneration in my area. I have
always had an interest in native plants especially trees but viewed plants as a means
of ‘fodder’ or shelter for wildlife. I also noticed after the fire that the little green that did
come back quickly amongst the black charred bush, were weeds! So if you have some
spare time, check out your local council for a listing of Bush Regeneration groups in
your area and give them a hand. Habitat such as creek lines, streams and bushland is
being chocked by aggressive garden escapees a bit like ‘feral cats’ preying on the indig-
enous plants which are having trouble trying to cope with the invasion!
The following notes are based on my own experience and I hope they are a help to new
carers. Hands on is the best way to learn, that, and asking questions no matter how
dumb you think they are! Ask them anyway, you would be surprised how many prob-
lems can be stopped from escalating by asking dumb questions and maybe save an
animal’s life! Please remember these notes are only a guide because situations vary so
much, and generally there are many ways to arrive at the same outcome – successful
rehabilitation.
I would like to thank the Veterinarians for without their service, dedication and exper-
tise many animals would be lost. And thanks to the researchers and their students,
who spend many nights over many years wandering around the bush, documenting
and publishing their findings so carers like me can also get an insight into the private
world of possums.
Most of all, I want to thank you, the wildlife carers who give their time, energy and
money to care for these special creatures that really belong to us all.
Cheers
Sonya
Golden Brushtail possum
- Tasmania 2003
Table of Contents
Preface 1 Sugar glider -120 days 22
Squirrel glider 22
About this course 1
References 2
Feathertail glider 23
Introduction to Possums 2
Introduction 23
Digestive System 3
Identification 23
Mammary glands 4
Habitat & natural diet 24
Social structure 24
Common Brushtail possum 5
Breeding 24
Introduction 5
Age Chart 24
Identification 6
Habitat & natural diet 6
Eastern Pygmy possum 25
Social Structure 6
Breeding & Status 7 Introduction 25
A guide to Age & stage of development 7 Identification 25
Brushtail five months old 8 Case History 1 26
Brushtail six months old 8 Case History 2 26
Brushtails seven months 8
Brushtails nine months 9 Yellow-bellied glider 27
Suitable Brushtail Possum Housing 10
Introduction 27
Identification 27
Mountain Brushtail 11 Habitat & natural diet 28
Identification 11 Social structure 28
Weight & size 11 Breeding 28
Habitat 11 Case History 29
Diet 11
Breeding 11
Greater glider 30
Juvenile development 12
Introduction 30
Adult 12
Identification 31
Range 12
Habitat & natural diet 31
General 12
Social structure 32
Breeding 32
Common Ringtail Possum 13
Status 32
Introduction & Identification 13
Equipment 33
Habitat & natural diet 12
Equipment list 33
Social Structure 14
First-aid kit 33
Breeding 14
Housing 34
Grouping possums 14
An assortment of feeding dishes 34
Mother reared 15
Ringtails six months 16
Ringtails seven months 16 Feeding possums 35
Ringtails eight months 16
suitable housing 17
Aviaries 38
The function of an aviary 38
Sugar glider & Squirrel gliders 18 Size 38
Identification 18 Construction 38
Sugar glider 19 Wire 39
Squirrel glider 19 Flooring 39
Habitat & natural diet 19 Location 39
Social structure 19 Other considerations 39
Breeding 20 Recommended size 40
Introducing a new comer! 20
Glider ages and stages 21
Emerging from nest 21
Sugar glider - 100 to 120 days 22
Squirrel glider - 110 to 130 days 22
Housing & Holding Possums 41 Possum boxes 62
Housing injured or sick animals 43 Installation 63
Initial assessment 44 Feral intruders 63
What to look for! 44 Size recommendation chart 64
Mucous membrane 44
Breathing 44
Possum Differences 66
Shock 44
Burns 44 Common Brushtail - Mountain Brushtail 68
Ingested poison 45 Common Brushtail - Common Ringtail 69
Greater Glider - Yellow-bellied Glider 70
Convulsions 45
Small possums 71
Fractures 45
Sugar Glider - Squirrel Glider 72
Wound management 46
Fly-strike 46
Puncture 46 Charts 73
Possum Summary 73
Release 47 Female Reproductive Cycle 74
Brushtail - Ages & Stages 75
Points to consider when releasing 47
Ringtail - Ages & Stages 76
Sugar gliders - Ages & Stages 77
Rescue & Handling Possums 48
Small Possums and Gliders Summary 78
Pygmy Possum development 79
Rescue Flowchart 80
Case Histories 50
rescue scenarios you may encounter 50
Road victim or fall 50
Mites 50
Dog attack 51
Skin problems 52
Rat poison 53
Hypothermia 53
Burns 54
Waste of time! 54
Lean times 54
Pet Moggy 55
Barbed wire 56
Possum Repellent Study 57
Products tested: 57
Possum Relocation Study 58
Possum Deterrents & Trapping 59
Is it a possum? 59
Handy Hints 59
Possum Trap 59
Trapping 60
Deterrents for plants 60
Possums commonly found in roofs
60
Sugar glider 60
Brushtail 61
Most Photos were taken by Fred & Sonya
Ringtail 61
Stanvic - other individual contributions have
Black rat 61
been acknowledged separately
Printed on recycled paper
©Sonya Stanvic 2004 - 2006
Comments and feedback are welcome.
[email protected]
Juvenile to Adult Possums - Revised May 2006
FAMILY TREE OF POSSUMS
MARSUPIALS

Order - DIPROTODONTIA
FAMILY Common name - Genus - Species
ACROBATIDAE Feathertail glider - Acrobates pygmaeus
BURRAMYIDAE Eastern pygmy-possum – Cercartetus nanus
Little pygmy-possum – Cercartetus lepidus
Western pygmy-possum – Cercartetus concinnus
Long-tailed pygmy-possum – Cercartetus caudatus
Mountain pygmy-possum – Burramys parvus
DACTYLOPSILINAE Striped possum – Dactylopsila trivirgata
PETAURIDAE Sugar glider – Petaurus breviceps
Squirrel glider – Petaurus norfolcensis
Mahogany glider – Petaurus gracilis
Yellow-bellied glider – Petaurus australis
Leadbeater’s possum – Gymnobelideus leadbeateri
PHALANGERIDAE Common brushtail possum – Trichosurus vulpecula
Short-eared possum – Trichosurus caninus
Mountain brushtail possum - Trichosurus cunninghamii
Scaly–tailed possum – Wyulda squamicaudara
Common spotted cuscus – Spilocuscus maculatus
Southern common cuscus – Phalanger intercastellanus

PSEUDOCHEIRIDAE Common ringtail possum – Pseudocheirus peregrinus
Western ringtail possum – Pseudocheirus occidentalis
Herbert River ringtail possum – Pseudochirulus herbertensis
Daintree River ringtail possum – Pseudochirulus cinereus
Green ringtail possum – Pseudochirops archeri
Rock ringtail possum – Petropseudes dahli
Lemuroid ringtail possum – Hemibelideus lemuroides
Greater glider – Petauroides volans

TARSIPEDIDAE Honey possum – Tarsipes rostratus

Preface
The name possum is a familiar one. Though it did come about in odd circumstances. It
was first named by Sir Joseph Banks after Captain Cooks ship ran aground on the Endeav-
our River. Banks a botanist, recorded an animal thought to be related to the American spe-
cies of the Opossum. If only he had been able to ask the local natives they would have told
him it was a 'bobuck' or some other indigenous name. So our first possum - a Common
ringtail was christened 'Opossum' . The name Opossum means 'white- face' and describes
the Virginia opossum the only marsupial found in North America. A few years later the 'O'
was dropped, to emphasize the difference between the American and Australian family.
Unlike the first discovery of a macropod, which was killed and eaten, our first possum is
still on display in a museum in the Netherlands.
The Opossum has many sharp teeth and are Omnivorous-eats just about any thing! It is
solitary by nature and slow moving and if frightened and unable to escape may fall into
an involuntary shock-like state ‘playing possum’ unlike their Aussie cousin who does not
play possum!
Opossums can have up to 20 young after a gestation period of 11-13 days, but the female
has only 13 teats and not all may function, so the excess young will die. I believe few
Opossums are lucky to survive beyond a year in the wild but in captivity some have been
known to live 5 to 10 years.

The North American Opossums could only be loved by their mothers. Australian possums are definitely
cuter! Unless, your an American Wildlife carer like Dan Shea who supplied the picture of the young
Opossums above
About this course
Today we will cover the possums that are known to be in this area, and likely to come into
care. This course is only a beginning, it is up to each of you as individual carers to learn as
much as possible about the local possums which inhabit your area. There are some great
books which are reasonably priced and very informative about the natural history of pos-
sums.
Find out
What natural foods they prefer
Where they live
Natural history
Revised May 2006 - Juvenile to Adult Possums

Remember all animals covered by the ‘Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995’ must be
reported to NPWS, along with the location. This will allow the NPWS to compile a complete list-
ing for the fauna atlas records. Don’t waste a dead possum, maybe your local university could
do with a few bodies to help educate vets on wildlife or try the museum.
References and Recommended Reading
Possums by Anne Kerle - UNSW Press ISBN 0 86840 419 5
Gliders of Australia by David Lindenmayer - UNSW Press ISBN 0 86840 523 X
The Mammals Of Australia Ed. By Ronald Strahan - Reed books ISBN 0 7301 0484 2
Possums by Barbara Triggs - Houghton Mifflin Australia IBSN 0 86770 137 4
Possum Moods by Paule Ridpath - Ure Smith Pty Ltd (published in 1967)
Life of Marsupials Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe - William Clowes & Sons Ltd (published 1973)
Native Plants of the Blue Mountains Jill Dark, Margaret Baker, Robin Corringham - Three
Sisters publication.
Possum and Gliders Ed. Andrew Smith and Ian Hume - Surrey Beatty & Sons Pty Ltd
The Management of Australian Mammals in Captivity - Proceedings of the scientific meet-
ing of the Australian Mammal Society, Healsville, Victoria (1982)
Wildlife in Australia Healthcare & Management - Proceedings 327 Post Graduate Foun-
dation of Veterinary Science University of Sydney.
Mammal Tracks and Signs by Barbara Triggs - Oxford University press.
Fauna of the Blue Mountains by Judy & Peter Smith - Kangaroo Press.
Black’s Veterinary Dictionary Ed. Geoffrey West.
Fauna of Australia Volume 1B Mammalia - Australian Government Publishing Service
Canberra (1989)
Guide to first aid by Carol Harvey-Stevenson
Introduction to Possums
Possums are marsupials. This means they give birth to very small undeveloped young
which are blind and naked. Their development is finalised within a pouch. At birth the
hind limbs are nothing more than fan-shaped buds, unlike the forelimbs which are more
developed and have sharp curved claws. Using these forearms the newborn makes its way
from the cloaca by climbing and clinging to the mothers fur until it reaches the pouch.
Once inside the pouch its first priority is to locate a teat and clamp it's mouth firmly
around it. It remains attached like this for about 3 months in the case of a brushtail and
less for the smaller possums. In this second stage of development possums grow rapidly,
the ears and eyes open, whiskers and teeth develop and a thick coating of fur covers the
joey. It's referred to as a pouch young.
As the baby grows it becomes too large for it's pouch nursery and starts to cling to the
mothers back or is left in the den whilst mother forages for food. Its now called a back
young.
Neonates - 5 day old Brushtail possum - Unsaveable Feathertail gliders, 2grams, 60days - Saveable Approx 85 days old brushtail - Saveable
Juvenile to Adult Possums - Revised May 2006

All possums are nocturnal and mainly arboreal. Some are strict herbivores, others are
insectivores, a few are nectivores and the common brushtail could almost qualify as an
omnivore. Their hands and feet have been designed to grip branches, and their claws en-
able them to vertically scale trees. All possums have a grooming claw, and some have pre-
hensile tails. Gliding possums have an extra fold of skin between the fore and hind limbs
called a patagium and their tail is used as a rudder when gliding.
All possums are hind gut fermenters - their digestive system is designed to break down
plant material (cellulose) and extract the nutrients by a process called microbial fermenta-
tion' (good bacteria = gut flora), which takes place in the colon and caecum. Possum di-
gestive systems vary slightly with each species and is structured to cope with their particu-
lar diet. Possums like the Greater glider are specialist feeders and have developed a large
caecum and colon to aid in the digestion of eucalypt leaves.
Ringtail possums recycle their pellets, allowing them to get the B vitamins that were
missed first time round.
Brushtail Possum Greater Glider Sugar Glider
Caecum
Digestive physiology and nutrition of Marsupials by Ian D. Hume (1982)
Marsupial body temperatures are a couple of degrees lower than ours around 35.5. Some
of the smaller possums such as Sugar & Squirrel gliders, Pygmy possums and Feathertail
glider can enter torpor (lower their body temperature) to conserve energy during adverse
weather conditions.
This also reduces the need to forage for food when its in short supply e.g insects, sap,
nectar and pollen.
Tooth structure is basically the same in all species, strong upper and lower incisors are
used to cut leaves , gouge the bark for sap and insects and open nuts and fruit. The molars
are used for crushing and grinding food.
Used for Cutting Leaves
Used for Grinding Leaves
Revised May 2006 - Juvenile to Adult Possums

All possums have scent glands, the males are more prominent than the females and are
used to mark their territory and family members.
Mammary glands (female) are found inside the pouch and the number depends on the
species. Sexually mature females have reddish-brown stained fur around the pouch area.
This is secreted from pouch glands and may assist neonates in locating the pouch after
birth.
Ringtails have four teats, but only the required number
are active, - two joeys two teats with milk
Some possums such as the Yellow-bellied Glider are very vocal, others like the Greater
glider are silent, however all have good hearing and an acute sense of smell.
There are 27 species of possums in Australia, though similar in many respects, each spe-
cies fills a different niche in the available habitat.
Some species are very territorial and will defend their territory from others of their own
kind. Some are compatible and have been sighted in very large feeding groups whilst oth-
ers are solitary.
A few species are common but the majority are endangered or vulnerable due mainly to
habitat loss in some areas. A small group of Mahogony gliders thought to be extinct have
been located on private property in Queensland. The Leadbeater possum in Victoria lives
in a confined area and is at risk. The Yellow-bellied glider is also threatened due to logging
in it's preferred habitat. Most possums do not adapt to changes to their environment.
Juvenile to Adult Possums - Revised May 2006

Common Brushtail possum
Trichosurus vulpecula
Introduction
Brushtails are the most studied of all the possum families because they are common and easy
to capture and maintain in captivity.
Possums are hind-gut fermenters with a simple stomach but an expanded colon and caecum
(Hume 1999). This means, their digestive system has been adapted to utilize low-quality foli-
age which is the bulk of their diet. Brushtails are less efficient at doing this than other more
strict folivores like Ringtails and Greater gliders. This is why Brushtails can also supplement
their diet with high-energy / high nutrient foods when they are available. Eucalypts contain
very little protein and are also low in carbohydrates but are high in toxins. "Gut flora" is the
GOOD bacterium that helps with the (breakdown) fermentation of plant material and this
is why we do not give antibiotics by mouth as it upsets and can also destroy the "gut flora"
causing diarrhoea.
It's unsure how possums tolerate poisons found in plants. Sodium monofluoracetate (1080)
found in plants is used to poison pest species like feral cats, wild dogs and foxes but the
Common brushtail in Western Australia can tolerate a higher concentration than the possums
in NSW.
Life span is around 10 years; the oldest recorded brushtail was 14 years old. Predators are
quolls, dogs, foxes and back young are taken by Powerful owls and probably feral cats. Abo-
rigines hunted them for food and used their pelts to make rugs and clothing.
In the 1850's the Brushtail was introduced to New Zealand from Tasmania, Victoria and
NSW to establish a fur industry - it soon became a pest!
They keep munching on New Zealand's forest, bringing it closer to extinction because they
do not have any predators to keep the numbers down. Brushtails also threaten New Zealand's
native birds as they eat young chicks and eggs. They also carry bovine tuberculosis in New
Zealand and are a threat to dairy and beef industries. I can understand when a New Zealander
rings up hoping to have the "vermin" removed from their property because most do not real-
ize Brushtails are protected in Australia and not considered a pest! ...Well only by a few!
New Zealand spend around NZ$50 million each year to help diminish the Brushtails impact
- it has been estimated there is between 60 and 70 million Brushtails in New Zealand!
Revised May 2006 - Juvenile to Adult Possums